


The Morning After

by phoenixyfriend



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Skrull(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3224144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixyfriend/pseuds/phoenixyfriend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a reason Kate didn't bother correcting Teddy when he called Noh-Varr her boyfriend so early on in their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Morning After

“So, that was… exciting.” Kate flopped down onto Noh-Varr’s head, crossing her legs and tucking her hands behind her head. “You get Skrull attacks often out here, then?”

“Not nearly as much as you’d think.” Noh-Varr answered, hanging up his helmet. “You were very… quick to react. It was impressive.”

“Well, _yeah_. Superhero, remember?” Kate grinned up at him, cheeky and a little teasing. “I might not be fast enough to deal with _your_ crazy reflexes, but I do have some experience fighting Skrulls.”

“Yes, I seem to remember an… invasion of sorts, after I was freed from the Cube.” Noh-Varr bit his lip, closing his eyes, remembering what he could through the haze of time and the . “And you had… two Skrulls on your team?”

“Eh… ish.” Kate shrugged and patted the bed next to her. “Take a seat; you look kinda stiff, still standing there. Besides, it’s your bed.”

“True.” Noh-Varr sat down next to her, though he didn’t lie down like she had. “So… ish?”

“The full Skrull wasn’t on our team; we were just cooperating with the team he was on.” Kate shrugged again. “And the other one’s only half-Skrull. Also one of my best friends, so, you know, don’t attack him out of the usual Kree-Skrull conflict or whatever.”

“I promise not to attack your friend,” Noh-Varr said. “However, I was unaware of the fact that Skrulls could interbreed with humans.”

“I said he was half-Skrull, not half-human.” Kate smiled at Noh-Varr. “The other half, funnily enough, is Kree.”

Noh-Varr’s lips pursed together, and he seemed to find something incredibly distasteful about the idea, though he didn’t comment on it, which was good enough for Kate. “That would explain his strength. It was much higher than what I have come to expect from Skrulls.”

“I guess?” Kate stretched her arms out above her head, which was really more like behind her, since she was still lying down. “So, do you want to do breakfast or something?”

“I have eggs.” Noh-Varr thought it over. “Cheese, too, along with various vegetables and meats. I could make an omelet?”

“Fine by me, if that’s all you’re putting in it. No wacky space ingredients, right?” Kate levered herself up on her elbow.

“Just Earth ingredients, all considered normal by the average human… so long as the human in question happens to come from a generic American background.” Noh-Varr mused, and shot Kate a grin when he saw her raised eyebrow. “I was raised as both a soldier and a diplomat. I may not be very old or experienced, but I was trained to learn the cultures of the planets I landed on, and there are few species that are completely uniform in culture. I have spent enough time on your planet, and in your city in particular, to know what is considered normal by whom.”

“I guess New York’s as good a city to learn about variety as any. Better than most, probably.” Kate got up and followed Noh-Varr into the modest kitchen. She watched him as he began the omelet, appreciating the wholly normal items going into the mix.

“So, didn’t you get banned from the planet or something? How’d you get into a nightclub down on good ol’ planet Earth?” Kate asked, twiddling a fork between her fingers and eyeing the gap between the doors on a cabinet, imagining how easy it would be to fling it hard enough to stick there.

“I’m officially banned, but so long as I don’t cause trouble and there’s nothing horrifying tying up the major teams, they don’t seem to care much.” Noh-Varr dug around in the strangely-shaped refrigerator. “They have more important things to worry about, especially since I happen to be all too aware of what would happen if I did anything to irritate them again.”

“Like blowing up a couple blocks of New York to write an obscene message?” Kate asked, grin in place as Noh-Varr winced. “I remember seeing that on the news when I was fifteen.”

“I would prefer not to talk about that.” Noh-Varr said, stiffly enough that Kate took the hint and dropped the subject. They stayed that way, in fairly companionable silence, as Noh-Varr continued mixing. “What do you want on your omelet?”

“You got any ham? Or bacon? Anything with protein, I guess. Mushrooms or spinach, if you’ve got ‘em.” Kate ran a tongue along her teeth, noting with mild disgust that she hadn’t gotten around to brushing them yet. “Mind me asking which cabinet’s got some water glasses? I don’t see a coffee maker, but the fight kind did a pretty good job of waking me up, so I don’t think taking some caffeine now is going to do any good.”

Noh-Varr pointed at the right cabinet. “Third shelf. The tap water is clean.”

“Great.” Kate got the water, but didn’t go back to the table. She leaned against the counter instead, watching Noh-Varr cook. He wasn’t the type she’d normally pin as a decent cook, but she figured that wasn’t really something she could tell just by sight normally anyway. Besides, her position gave her a _very_ nice view of his still-bare chest, and given the smirk on his face, she got the feeling that he was well aware of and very much enjoying her shameless stare. “So, how’d a pretty little space boy like you learn to cook human meals?”

“Books, mostly. I’ve had a number of human partners, mostly short-term, and I quickly learned that what I considered edible did not align with human tastes.” Noh-Varr ignored her questioning look for several seconds, then relented. “I’m genetically engineered to eat almost anything. I can easily survive off of trash.”

“I’m guessing most of your, ah, partners didn’t enjoy that?” Kate files away that little tidbit in the back of her mind. “And when you say trash…”

“Anything organic, really. Paper products, discarded food, plants that would be toxic to humans, animal bones… even certain glues, I believe. My main problem was actually the pesticides.” Noh-Varr continued to try to ignore Kate’s look, but once again found himself answering the unanswered question. “Kree are unable to evolve, and must augment our genetics with DNA from other species we encounter and conquer.”

“Uh-huh. So, that makes you part…?”

“Cockroach.” Noh-Varr answered, waiting for the inevitable disgust. He didn’t always tell one-night stands most of this, but Kate was… well, she was a superhero, for one thing, and they’d just escaped a battle together, so there was a bit more foundation there than with most.

“…Well, I guess that explains the trash-eating.” Kate muttered, her eyes wandering back to the omelet. “That almost done?”

“Nearly. Would you mind getting the plates and utensils?”

“Sure thing.” Kate pushed away from the counter. “Just say where.”

Kate wasn’t sure what to expect when they sat down to actually eat, but she’d probably eaten worse at Clint’s, so even if it was terrible, she’d be able to handle the taste.

“Holy shit.” Kate swallowed, eyeing her plate with wide eyes, then looking up at Noh-Varr and jabbing her fork at him. “This is really good.”

Given the self-satisfied smirk on his face, he knew that. They ate in companionable silence for several minutes, until Kate started talking again.

“So, this all happened a bit backwards.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Usually, it’s all life-and-death situation, then a relieved kiss and/or glad-to-be-alive sex, right?” Not that she’d ever gotten around to the latter, if only because her previous possible superhero paramours had been a little too young for her to be completely comfortable with that. “Got it a bit mixed up this time, doing the sex bit first.”

“We could fix that.” Noh-Varr said, so casual that Kate almost missed the implication the first time around.

She choked on her food, and needed to cough for a bit to get her breath back. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“That depends on what you think I’m suggesting.” Noh-Varr’s expression was almost _coy_ , really. “I would say… probably.”

“Well, that’s got to be one of the weirder requests for sex I’ve had in my life.” Kate laughed and took a swig from her glass, still just water. “I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea, though.”

“I do believe it’s customary for me to take you out to dinner first, is it not?” He was playing word games, and Kate would be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying them.

“It’s not really morning in New York yet. I’d say this counts.”

“This isn’t exactly a quality restaurant, nor would I consider Skrull-fighting a truly romantic activity.” Oh, that _look_ he was giving her.

“Why, _Noh-Varr_ , are you asking me out on a _date?_ ” Kate leaned over the table and her meal, and if she was giving him bedroom eyes, a smirk, and possibly a good view down her shirt… well, that was her own business.

“I believe that is the custom, yes. A second date, if you count this and the Skrulls.” He gestured at the food on the table.

“Third if you count the club last night.” Kate tilted her head, mockingly serious. “That almost puts you at boyfriend level already.”

“We did save each other’s lives,” Noh-Varr pointed out, though his tone implied that he was being about as serious about the situation as Kate, which was to say, not very. “That does tend to speed up relationships.”

“This is true.” Kate bit her lip and suppressed a giggle at the sheer absurdity. Noh-Varr had tried to kill her before, true, but he’d more or less been under mind-control at the time, and now… well. He seemed nice, wouldn’t be put off by her career, had a spaceship, was _very_ pretty, and made a mean omelet. She didn’t know much else about him yet, but there was time. “Well, I’ll take you up on that offer, space-boy. You definitely get another date.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Noh-Varr said, and judging by his grin, he was telling the truth. “Though I would like to point out that your omelet is getting cold.”

“So… I have an alien boyfriend now.” Kate leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers against the table, other arm swung around to hang behind the chair back. “…I should really tell Billy, if only so that we can laugh at the absurdity of both of us dating aliens.”

“Which one was he?”

“Billy was the magicky one. Red cape, slightly ridiculous hat, and dating our half-Skrull. If you remember enough about that day to remember the twins, he was the one with black hair. Only person you kidnapped that wasn’t an alien of some sort.” Kate fiddled with her fork, taking another bite. “You’re probably going to meet them at some point if you stick around with me, but I don’t think they’ll hold any grudges, so that’s good.”

“Yes, it is.” Noh-Varr was… not looking forward to the idea of fighting Kate’s friends. He’d be fine, of course, but that would certainly put a damper on any chances he had with Kate herself.

“Whelp, I’m done.” Kate stood and dumped her dishes in the sink. “So, got any idea on the ETA for those Skrulls? I’m guessing they’re still chasing us, so…”

“Fifteen minutes, give or take.” Noh-Varr tilted his head to one side, neck cracking. “We should probably get dressed.”

“Mm… I don’t have my weapons.”

“You could take the wheel again. You are a very good pilot for someone with no experience flying a Kree craft.”

“Looking forward to it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've heard a few people complain about how no one bothered correcting Teddy about Noh-Varr/how quickly Kate and Noh-Varr seemed to get together.
> 
> Seems to me like saving each others' lives in life-or-death situations are as good a reason as any to speed things up a bit.


End file.
